<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>sleepless by goobbies</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24157576">sleepless</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/goobbies/pseuds/goobbies'>goobbies</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Self-Harm, pure fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:20:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>859</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24157576</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/goobbies/pseuds/goobbies</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Cloud has a nightmare and doesn't know what to do with himself.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cloud Strife &amp; Barret Wallace, Cloud Strife/Barret Wallace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>131</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>sleepless</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Still within the grasp of the night terror, Cloud shot up. With his legs spread on the bed and his elbows resting between them, he desperately gripped his hair as unwelcome tears slid down his cheeks. His grip tightened and loosened in time with his erratic breathing before he removed his clammy hands from his hair and wiped them on his oversized shirt. With each subsequent breath, Cloud calmed down a little more, until his breathing was slightly less labored.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As he swung his legs over the side of the bed, he noticed for the second time since he’d put it on how loosely the oversized shirt hung on his frame. Having become used to his trademark tight-knit turtle-neck sweater accompanying him through his travels, Cloud had forgotten what it felt like to wear… normal clothes, particularly sleepwear. He was also clad in a pair of Tifa’s elastic shorts, and he was ashamed to admit that the smooth polyester fabric reaching to his mid-thighs felt incredible.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>Almost as nice as the dress…,</em> he mused, before snapping out of the reverie. He didn’t need any wishful thinking right now. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">After abandoning that train of thought, Cloud was hurled right back to what had caused his state of wakefulness in the first place. Before he could form any tangible thought, however, he bit down into his palm, hard. The stinging sensation was grounding, and it wasn’t until he tasted something metallic that Cloud realized he had probably gone a little too far in his attempt to stop the memory of his dream.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Shaking his head as if to clear it, Cloud slowly got up and moved hesitantly toward the bathroom to at least rinse his palm. The cool water slid over the bite marks effortlessly and reminded Cloud that there were tears on his cheeks.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><em>Fucking pathetic,</em> Cloud thought miserably.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Satisfied with the current state of his hand, Cloud decided to avoid his bed for a little while in favor of checking on Barret. The man had seemed grumpy the night before and all too ready to go to bed, so Cloud hoped he was able to enjoy his sleep, at least. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The narrow hallway felt much too crowded to Cloud, and he sighed with relief upon reaching Barret’s open doorway. Leaning against the doorframe, Cloud settled for admiring Barret for a short while before going back to bed. Barret, wearing a pair of loose sweatpants and a tight shirt, shifted slightly in his sleep and groaned, causing Cloud to inadvertently shift his weight right onto a creaky floorboard. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The slight sound rang out clearly in the otherwise silent room, and Cloud held his breath as Barret roused and sat up groggily.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Disgruntled from being woken in the middle of the night, Barret observed the offender with a reprimanding stare until he noticed Cloud’s hunched and unsure body language and the tear tracks glistening on his cheeks. Immediately his glare softened, and he patted the spot in bed beside him wordlessly.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The mercenary seemed to have misplaced his usual wit and guarded persona, which became evident when he shuffled toward the bed with his eyes downcast after surprisingly little hesitation. Barret’s brows knit together in a confounded frown as he observed Cloud in the most vulnerable state he’d ever witnessed. Still looking away, Cloud shivered lightly and balled his fists around the thick fabric of his shirt. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Slowly, so as not to scare Cloud away, Barret lifted his blanket and draped it over Cloud’s smaller frame. Apparently reveling in the newfound heat, Cloud relaxed ever so slightly and leaned into Barret just a little.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What’s up, buttercup?” Barret drawled, not exactly sure how to offer emotional support to a man as opposed to the young Marlene.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Not the time,” Cloud grumbled, but without the usual biting tone to back him up.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’ve got <em>all</em> the time in the <em>world</em>,” Barret goaded softly, relaxing his posture to encourage some sort of reaction from Cloud.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">After a couple of tense minutes, Cloud gave in.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Nightmares,” he mumbled, half hoping Barret wouldn’t hear him. He caged his arms across his chest, praying the way he wiped his sweaty palms in the process was subtle enough to go unnoticed. <em>He </em>knew he was a wreck, but he didn’t need <em>Barret</em> to know it too.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I see,” came the slightly stilted response. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Another minute later, Barret relaxed his body the rest of the way, and Cloud shot him a conflicted gaze. Deciding to let go of his current inhibitions in favor of getting the comfort he so desperately craved at the moment, he slowly moved into Barret’s lap, sitting down sideways and leaning into the broad man’s firm chest. Almost immediately, Barret’s arm fastened around him in a secure grip that elicited another shiver and something far too close to a whimper from Cloud. Hiding his burning face in Barret’s chest, he pretended not to notice the suppressed chuckle from the older man.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Instead of facing ridicule from his mind, all Cloud felt was a sense of calm as Barret tightened his grip just a little more and the two basked in the midnight silence together.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I wrote this when I couldn't go to sleep. The concept of Cloud in PJs has been on my mind since I started playing the Remake. This is my first (ever) fanfic, so please be kind! That being said, I do appreciate constructive criticism :')</p><p>Edit: I fixed a couple of dumb repetition mistakes that my mind didn’t catch at 1 o’clock in the morning when I wrote this.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>